Modern Aesthetic

In a past life, the elegant four-story neoclassical-styled residence in Presidio Heights was a monastery. It has been home to a lively family of six for the past thirty years. Now that the four children have grown up and moved out, the homeowners wanted to reimagine the interiors while honoring the post-1906 earthquake architecture. They hired designer Heather Hilliard to create monochromatic and minimalist rooms showcasing their contemporary art collection. 

Hilliard and her studio director, Fleur Keyes, brought in architects John Dorr and Ryann Marlowe of DomA to collaborate on the renovation and juxtapose modern aesthetics with the classical design elements of the house. The ground-floor entry segues to the second-floor foyer, where trans-Latinx artist Martine Gutierrez’s provocative self-portrait greets visitors. Hilliard and Keyes centered the white space with Jiun Ho’s asymmetrical Kiyomizu table illuminated by a bronze-finished and frosted glass circular chandelier. In the adjacent sitting room, Ranu Mukherjee’s artwork of a fantasy forest dialogs with the padded armchairs upholstered in verdant velvet, accompanied by a trio of Lucite and mirrored side tables.

Hilliard and Keyes arranged the wood-paneled living room for entertaining. A pair of Italian sofas raised on cast metal feet and covered in rich gray mohair from George Spencer Designs flank Studio Roeper’s handmade coffee table featuring an acid-etched zinc top with a charred oak base. The designers bisected the space with a settee displaying a distinctive woven leather backrest. Bourgeois Boheme Atelier’s stools with organically shaped bronze legs provide additional seating in front of the fireplace. Surmounting the mantel, Richard Learoyd’s Ilfochrome photograph of poppies evokes a Dutch still life. 

The homeowners host large dinner parties. Hilliard and Keyes chose artisan Florian Roeper to make the dining room’s rectangular table with a bronze base and bevel-edge wood top. They surrounded this with streamlined high-back dining chairs. A plaster-finished chandelier acts as a centerpiece. Art advisor Lisa Lindenbaum worked with the clients throughout the interiors to build a personal and meaningful art collection. In the dining room, two of Erica Deeman’s digital chromogenic prints resemble 18th-century silhouette portraits, while Sally Gall’s archival pigment print captures the ethereal beauty of the natural world. 

For casual dining, the homeowners choose their newly remodeled kitchen. Hilliard and Keyes repurposed the clients’ Saarinen table, encircling it with Mario Bellini’s Cab chairs. A flower pot pendant adds to the mid-century ambiance. The house is ready for the next thirty years, welcoming returning children and grandchildren.